Advertisement for Scott's emulsion

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English

Still produced today. Scott’s Emulsion is a proprietary adulteration of cod liver oil. Cod liver oil has long been believed to have a tonic effect on the human circulatory and respiratory systems, and at the time was considered particularly useful in treating cases of consumption (tuberculosis) – though not perhaps to the miraculous extent that this advertisement seems to claim.

The manufacturers of the emulsion, Scott & Browne Ltd. had factories in Canada, England, Spain, Portugal, Italy and France at the time this advertisement was produced. The emulsion was sold all across America, Europe and Asia. Part of the success of Scott’s Emulsion was that it used glycerine to sweeten the powerfully bitter taste of pure cod liver oil. The other obvious contributing factor to the company’s success was colourful and melodramatic advertisements such as this one.

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